A quick overview for my department's staff and faculty on the benefits of social media and the resources our department uses

1. Best Practices in Social Media
Your guide to being social as an
instructor and a professional, and
how to help your students do the
same!
Kristin Saling
kristin.saling@usma.edu
kristin.saling@gmail.com
(o) 845-938-4576

2. Overview
• Why should YOU be on social media?
– Managing your reputation
– Staying technologically current
– Marketing yourself
• Why should YOUR STUDENTS be on
social media?
– All the same reasons!!
• What do WE do with social media?
• Questions and Comments

3. State of Social Media in 2012

4. Future of Social Media
Baekel. T. (April 27, 2009). Where is everyone? Baekel Online Magazine. Retrieved from
http://www.baekdal.com/articles/Management/market-of-information/.

5. Priority 1:
Managing Online Reputation
• Are you already on Social Media outlets?
• You SHOULD be!
• One of your first priorities should be to make yourself aware of
your own online presence as an individual and a professional.
Just because you didn’t personally build a presence doesn’t
mean you don’t have one!!
• And remember, once something is online…do these firsties and
these captains look familiar to you?

6. Managing Online Reputation
• A reputation has many attributes:
– A latent construct that encompasses the character, conscience,
or credibility of the individual or entity in question
– Social media such as Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIN have
become tools for managing reputation online with both positive
and negative outcomes
– If you are not online, you can’t see what’s being said about you!
And worse, your online reputation will be based solely on what
others have to say about you!

7. Priority 2: Staying
Technologically Current
• A look at our cadets’ perspectives:
– DNA fingerprinting and maps of the
• There is a growing
human genome have always existed academic trend in
– Computers have always had a CD- implementing new
ROM disk drive
– The Gulf War happened before they
technology into the
were born classroom as well as
– LBJ are the initials of LeBron James engaging in conversation
and not the 36th President
– They have always been able to swipe outside the classroom
cards at McDonald’s
• In order to be able to
– Czechoslovakia has never existed
– There has always been an Internet
converse with our
– They have never pointed at their students intelligently, we
wrists to ask for the time need to be able to
– Amazon has never been just a river in
South America communicate with them
– When Facebook launched, some of across many media!
them were too young to join

8. Priority 3: Marketing Yourself!
• Social media is a great way to get your work and yourself in the
mainstream – with today’s technology, you can be your own PAO!
• Are you working on a great project? Are you looking for a new
project/new research? Let your professional network know on
LinkedIN or share to the official pages on Facebook!
• Accentuate the positive. People tend to look down on negative
commentary regardless as to the source, so whenever you can,
play up the positive in your work.

9. Reputation Do’s and Don’t’s
• Do NOT: • DO:
– Post any pictures or – Safeguard your
opinions you would not personal information
want your family to see – Remember that you are
– Assume that, whatever setting an example, and
the settings, your make it a good one
profile/account is – Establish your own
private reputation online – what
– Assume that your do you want people
boss/friends/family do saying about you?
not Google you if – Use the opportunity to
they’re technoliterate network, connect, and
– Be afraid of social expand your influence!
media

10. Technology Do’s and Don’t’s
• Do NOT: • DO:
– Be afraid to branch out into – Provide cadets with
new technology and new resources they can use
media outside the class
– Use sensitive personal – Promote an environment of
information on social sites – collaboration that spans
you should not have that across different social and
much faith in the technology professional networks
behind online security – Keep in contact with cadets
after they leave your class –
you may need a research
minion and they may need a
grad school
recommendation!

11. Marketing Do’s and Don’t’s
• Do NOT: • DO:
– Forget that even if your – Be aware that your actions
pictures/username/ID don’t reflect upon West Point and
have anything to do with the the Army whether or not you
Army or West Point, people are wearing the uniform
will still know that you are in – Promote your “brand” and
the Army play to your strengths – you
– Post anything with alcohol in are sharing the best of what
it – HR offices scour you and your institution
employees’ social media and represent, so don’t be afraid
this is the biggest detractor to show off a little!
– Be a negative commentator –
regardless of the subject,
people tend to shy away from
negative chatter and your
message will get lost

12. Something to think about…
• “It takes many good deeds to build a
good reputation, and only one bad one
to lose it.”
-- Benjamin Franklin

13. Our Social Media Presence
• Our department has an official presence
in the following outlets:
– Facebook
– Linked IN
– Flickr
– Vimeo
Lots of Some No
activity activity activity

14. Find our page on
Facebook to find:
•News links Facebook Notes…
•Research
opportunities •There is no such thing as a fully private account,
so have your students like the page to keep up on
•Class/student events systems events
•Pictures
•Highlights •Think reputation management – if you like the
page, your profile picture and information are
visible! This is a good student mentorship
opportunity (and a chance to check yourself!)

15. A closed group for
professional
networking! Join LinkedIN to see:
Create your profile •Job recommendations
and build your •Grad school recommendations
network! •Professional updates
•Research/job opportunities
•Link to other groups and associations
like ASEM, SWE, MORS…

16. An online photo host used for events with larger
audiences and a larger number of photos (and key for
those folks who just won’t get on Facebook!)
Photos are open sourced but members can leave
comments
All photos must have appropriate names
You can subscribe to the “photostream” for the latest
updates and photos

17. An online video sharing platform
West Point Department of Systems Engineering has a
channel on which we share promotional videos and other
material of interest
If you have ideas for this platform, please share them with
the Commo Committee!

18. What else is out there?
• Twitter
• YouTube
• Pinterest
• Foursquare
• Digg
• Reddit
• StumbleUpon
• Tumblr
• Blogger
• Google +

19. Social Media Resources
• Websites
– Brian Solis: www.briansolis.com
– The Google of Social Media - Samepoint.com
– Another good search engine -
Socialmention.com
– Social Media Influence (Case studies):
http://socialmediainfluence.com/
– Pew Research Internet Resources:
http://www.pewinternet.org/
• Blogs
– Mashable: www.mashable.com
– PR Squared: http://www.pr-squared.com/
– PR Sarah Evans: http://prsarahevans.com/
– PR Daily
– Social Media Today:
http://socialmediatoday.com/
– Social Times: http://socialtimes.com/

20. Additional Resources for
Reputation Management
• Dr. Leslie Gaines-Ross (Weber-Shandwick Chief
Reputation Strategist): http://reputationxchange.com/
• Reputation Rx: http://www.reputationrx.com/
• Online reputation (Reputation Rx):
http://www.reputationrx.com/Default.aspx/ONLINERE
PUTATION
• Reputation Institute (Corporate):
http://www.reputationinstitute.com/

21. Any questions or comments?
Thank you very much.
MAJ Kristin Saling
kristin.saling@usma.edu
kristin.saling@gmail.com
(o) 845-938-4576
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